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I’ve heard so much about the e.l.f. Cosmetics brand over the past couple of years. I’ve heard everyone rave about them, especially since they’re extremely cheap but supposedly very good products. So of course I had to try them. After thoroughly trying out quite a few of their products over the past couple of months, I wanted to share my assessment of the products based on whether they’re a hit or a miss. My analysis takes into account the quality of the product in conjunction with the price.
1. E.L.F. Cosmetics Ultimate Kabuki Brush ($10)–HIT
This is billed as more of a contour brush, but I found it to be way too big to be weld as a contour brush. That said, it’s a great blending brush to blend your contouring and highlighting! It’s super soft and fits easily in your hand.
2. E.L.F. Cosmetics Eyeshadow “C” Brush ($3)–MISS
Ok, e.l.f. brushes get a lot of hype, so I was so let down by this brush. I don’t think it adequately picks up or deposits eyeshadow pigment, even with my high-end eyeshadows. The bristles are not as soft as I normally use, either, which may be part of the problem.
–>Buy this instead: Sonia Kashuk Medium Eye Shadow Brush – No 28 ($10.99) or Sonua Kashuk Essential Eye Kit ($11.59 for 4 brush set)
3. E.L.F. Cosmetics Baked Eyeshadow Palette in Texas ($10)—MISS
This product is terrible! The colors look so gorgeous in the palette, but there is no payoff! The pigmentation is just not there at all, and isn’t really buildable. It didn’t even show-up with any of my awesome eye primers. AVOID!
–>Buy this instead: Revlon PhotoReady Primer + Eyeshadow ($10.99)
4. E.L.F. Cosmetics Exfoliating Scrub ($6)—HIT
This gets the job done, and isn’t overly harsh on my face. It’s great for the price!
5. E.L.F. Cosmetics Illuminating Mist & Set ($4)—HIT
This product does a great job! It’s a little drying, though, so I’m glad I didn’t get the matte version. At $4, you’re not going to beat it.
6. E.L.F. Cosmetics Shadow Lock Eyelid Primer in Sheer ($2)—MISS
This product was just meh. It sorta worked, but not really, especially with the e.l.f. eyeshadow I tried. I even tried it with my higher-end shadows, but there wasn’t much staying power.
–>Buy this instead: NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk ($4.49)
7. E.L.F. Cosmetics Instant Lift Brow Pencil ($2)—HIT
I hate that this product only comes in a few shades, but it’s otherwise a really good product. It comes with the built-in spoolie on the end for convenience. The formula wears well and lasts all day. This performs as well as other brow products I’ve tried up to the $10 mark.
8. E.L.F. Cosmetics Aqua Beauty Primer Mist ($8)—HIT
This is such an awesome product for the price! It’s multi-purpose, and can function as a primer, a setter, and a refresher. My only complaint is that the spray is really more forceful and concentrated than I like, but for $8, I’ll deal with it! Just make sure to hold it 8-10″ away from your face. It takes 3-4 good sprays to cover your entire face.
If you want to get e.l.f Cosmetics a try, I highly recommend ordering on their website. They’re always running different deals. I was able to get free shipping and 4 products (the eyeshadow, primer, eyeshadow brush, and a mascara that I did not review) worth $19 for FREE with a certain dollar purchase. You can also currently get 5% cashback on the e.l.f. website when you use Ebates!
